How do I know when to butcher?

[Latestarter]

Dang... sorry about the migraine...

 

[Baymule]

How big is your pig pen? The smaller it is, the worse they smell. Given room, pigs will use one corner for their toilet. They don't like laying in their own poo, but will if their pen is small. And there is the mudhole.... Pigs cannot sweat and must have water or mud to cool themselves. So that can be smelly as well.

I hear you on the tired of taking care of animals. You might just be a tad overwhelmed. Being a Mom is already a full time job, add animals that must be cared for and your duties double. And here you go getting 75 Cornish! I hope you have help processing them or you will have a bigger headache. My husband and I aimed for 10 a day, plucking and parting them out once butchered.

 

[Healthy Skeptic]

We no longer do the chickens. Mennonite ladies do a better job and so cheap.

 

[Baymule]

There are Mennonites in our area, one family operates a custom slaughter facility. But they don't do chickens.

 

[Ron Bequeath]

I know alot of folks say butcher at 5-7 months, but a 5 month old pig can weigh 200 or 275, how do you know the weight. I use to as a youngster go to the auction and study the pigs i wanted my pigs to be as big as, then go home and see if my pigs looked like them. Hit and miss. So i started measure weighting them. Best done while they are eating. Wearing old clothes, you take a cord, and wrap it around the hog at about where the heart is and put a knot mark with marker. Take this number and square it (multiply by itself). Then take a string and stretch it from back of ears to base of tail. Knot this measurement if different from first size. Multiply with the product of the first measurement. Divide buy 400. Should be a close proximity of the hogs weight. I'm usually +or- 5 pounds. Most people shoot for 250, but pigs are bred now a days to be lean. I like to make lye soaps so try to get my hogs 275 to 325. And even that doesn't give much lard.

 

[Baymule]

I know alot of folks say butcher at 5-7 months, but a 5 month old pig can weigh 200 or 275, how do you know the weight. I use to as a youngster go to the auction and study the pigs i wanted my pigs to be as big as, then go home and see if my pigs looked like them. Hit and miss. So i started measure weighting them. Best done while they are eating. Wearing old clothes, you take a cord, and wrap it around the hog at about where the heart is and put a knot mark with marker. Take this number and square it (multiply by itself). Then take a string and stretch it from back of ears to base of tail. Knot this measurement if different from first size. Multiply with the product of the first measurement. Divide buy 400. Should be a close proximity of the hogs weight. I'm usually +or- 5 pounds. Most people shoot for 250, but pigs are bred now a days to be lean. I like to make lye soaps so try to get my hogs 275 to 325. And even that doesn't give much lard.

Ron, try heritage breeds. There are still breeds around that make a lot of fat. You could also ask for fat trimmings from the slaughter facility. I recently made lard from a hog we raised and canned it. Love to cook with lard. Since we just took a Red Wattle 820 pound boar to slaughter, I saved the fat for a friend that wants to render lard.

 

[Ron Bequeath]

Ron, try heritage breeds. There are still breeds around that make a lot of fat. You could also ask for fat trimmings from the slaughter facility. I recently made lard from a hog we raised and canned it. Love to cook with lard. Since we just took a Red Wattle 820 pound boar to slaughter, I saved the fat for a friend that wants to render lard.

Thanks for the advise, my boar was a hampshire, and used cross gilts, my preference is away from kune kune or American quinea hogs, since I'm supporting 4 families + people in need the larger, leaner hog goes farther. My butcher knows that when i come I'll ask for all lard i can get, and yes i love to cook with lard. Thanks again.

 

[Ron Bequeath]

How big is your pig pen? The smaller it is, the worse they smell. Given room, pigs will use one corner for their toilet. They don't like laying in their own poo, but will if their pen is small. And there is the mudhole.... Pigs cannot sweat and must have water or mud to cool themselves. So that can be smelly as well.

I hear you on the tired of taking care of animals. You might just be a tad overwhelmed. Being a Mom is already a full time job, add animals that must be cared for and your duties double. And here you go getting 75 Cornish! I hope you have help processing them or you will have a bigger headache. My husband and I aimed for 10 a day, plucking and parting them out once butchered.

I know what you mean about smell, hogs have that ability. My pens are 6 x 6 with an outside area, and if i put 2 hogs in one pen it can get intense quick. How i learned that is when i was a young biology treacher one of my students wanted to show me his farm, the industry at the time was pushing raising hogs in 4 sq ft of space per hog. They had a 20 by 20 ft pen and had 50 hogs in it. I wore my leather jacket into the barn and the hog smell never came out. Thats why i raise my hogs on pasture, large pens and hog yards. I think they taste better also.

 

[Baymule]

Thanks for the advise, my boar was a hampshire, and used cross gilts, my preference is away from kune kune or American quinea hogs, since I'm supporting 4 families + people in need the larger, leaner hog goes farther. My butcher knows that when i come I'll ask for all lard i can get, and yes i love to cook with lard. Thanks again.

Heritage breeds don't mean small hogs.

We have had Hereford hogs, Red Wattle and Large black/Berkshire. If you want a BIG hog and lard, look for Large Blacks.

 

[Carla D]

I KNOW!!!! Then you have a wildcatter like me who takes the risk on an 820 pound boar..... We pick up Wilbur on Wednesday, pork chops with pictures and taste test will appear on my 820 Pound thread on Wednesday night!

820#! WOW! It’s a good thing he’s friendly. That could be a whole lot of attitude if he wanted to be. I guess our big boar looks like a baby compared to yours. I had no idea Red Waddles grew to be that big. We are suspecting our boy is Old Spot Glaucashire.

I KNOW!!!! Then you have a wildcatter like me who takes the risk on an 820 pound boar..... We pick up Wilbur on Wednesday, pork chops with pictures and taste test will appear on my 820 Pound thread on Wednesday night!